


Pre-Revelations

by Bass_Line



Series: Revelations [2]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Himari's too innocent for her own good so why Moca why?, Main pairing should be obvious but y'know I just wanna keep it a secret for five seconds, Please practice kitchen safety, Title's lame but I like it, Tried to pack lots of drama and sad stuff but I'm not good at it, Very obvious but I don't know how does falling in love feels like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15399186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass_Line/pseuds/Bass_Line
Summary: Falling in love can be painful at times... but maybe it's because you're falling for the wrong person?





	Pre-Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Ahaha don't be fooled by the summary, it has a happy ending. 
> 
> This is set in the same setting as my other story 'Revelations', but you can read this as a standalone!
> 
> I think.

"Ara~ Tsugu's being tsugurifically in love~" Tsugumi blushed, turning around to face Moca, who was smirking at the keyboardist. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"Calling me out when you don't even know who? You're mean Moca-chan." Tsugumi laughed, motioning for Moca to hand her a dirty mixing bowl. She had just finished conducting a cookie baking lesson, and was now cleaning up the mess made by the participants. Not that she could blame them, all but one were kids. Moca handed Tsugumi a mixing bowl, her smirk still plastered on her face. "Geez, I'm not saying. By the way, when did you get here?"

"Hm? Oh... probably four minutes ago?" Moca shrugged, ambling towards the classroom's fridge. "Hey Tsugu, are you gonna eat the cake?"

"You can have it if you want." Tsugumi replied, dexterously washing the mixing bowl. "Did you see Sayo-san on your way in?"

"Sure did~ Did she come in to flirt with you or something?"

"Moca-chan! She's not-"

"Duly noted~ Never expected her to attend one of your sessions though~" Moca commented, stuffing almost half of the cake into her mouth. "Mmm~ Yum~"

"H-Haha, I didn't expect it myself too... b-but she's kinda nice! Did you know that she literally used a ruler just to measure the size of the dough? It's pretty cute~" Tsugumi giggled, and instantly Moca made her way towards Tsugumi, sliding up to her left shoulder. "W-Whoa! Give me a warning next time Moca-chan!"

"I see, I see~ Is Tsugu into Hikawa-san?" Moca nodded her head sagely whil Tsugumi's cheeks reddened with every passing second.  _'Oh, I hit the nail on the head~'_

"I... I wouldn't say 'into'... I just... you know... kinda find Sayo-san interesting? I-It's not every day you see a gentler side to her after all!" Tsugumi protested, but she knew that from the way Moca was smiling at her, the guitarist wasn't convinced. "Y-You can't deny that Moca-chan!"

"Sure thing Tsugu~" Moca laughed, while Tsugumi pouted. "But seriously, it's okay if you like girls ya know. Hii-chan and Tomo-chin are dating, and you don't see me complaining~"

"W-Wait! Himari-chan... and Tomoe-chan...? H-How come I've never heard of this?!" Tsugumi was shocked, not because two of her friends were dating but because two of her friends were dating  _and_ chose not to tell her. "And how do you know about it?"

"Oh ya know, buying bread from the bakery and seeing them sharing an ice cream cone. The usual." Moca shrugged, as though what she saw was completely normal.  _'I'm pretty sure those two did come out... oh wait, Tsugu was too busy to head back home with us that day...'_

"E-Eeeeeh?! That's not 'usual'!"

"You get the idea Tsugu~" Tsugumi pouted once again, causing Moca to be unable to contain herself. "Alright, alright~ I'll tell you a Moca-chan secret that no one knows. Would that make you feel better?"

"Depends."

"Ara, a tough customer eh? Okay okay, just don't go spilling ol' Moca-chan's treasure to others 'kay?" Moca chuckled, but deep down, she was nervous to how Tsugumi might react.  _'... It's Tsugu, she'll probably take it well...'_

"Fine, so what's your secret?" Had Tsugumi known the series of events that happened in the following months after Moca had revealed her secret, she would have instantly declined Moca's 'offer'.

"I'm in love with Ran."

* * *

"Haa... Maybe I should ask Ran if she wants to eat ice cream with me..." Tsugumi sighed, mildly disappointed that the other three members of Afterglow were busy for the day. It had been two weeks since Moca had called her out for her... interest in Sayo and also the revelation that Moca had a crush on Ran ever since they met. It was surprising, to say the least, and further so when Moca made her swear to take that secret to her grave.  _'I wonder why didn't Moca-chan tell Himari-chan or Tomoe-chan? They might be able to help...'_

"Ah, Tsugumi. Haven't seen you all day." Tsugumi blinked, and standing before her was the very girl she had been searching for. Ran crossed her arms, only speaking after figuring that Tsugumi wasn't going to reply any time soon. "Tsugumi? You doing okay?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yes! I'm okay, thanks for asking Ran-chan!"

"Don't push it if you're not feeling well." Ran coolly commented, casually checking the time on her smartphone afterwards. "Sorry, I'm gonna bounce."

"Oh, running errands again?" Tsugumi teased, which surprisingly caused Ran to blush.  _'Huh? Why is she blushing?'_

"... Yeah. I'll see you at practice tomorrow?" With that, Ran left the school compounds, running as though her life depended on it. Tsugumi sighed, she was really looking forward to eating ice cream with one of her friends. It didn't mean that she couldn't eat ice cream by herself... just that it would be lonelier. With her decision made up, she went over to the ice cream place that she planned on visiting with one of her friends, and what she saw when she arrived shocked her.

 _'R-Ran-chan?! I thought she said that she had to run errands?'_ There stood Ran, who was holding up a cup filled with brown ice cream. Beside Ran was...  _'Holy- That's Minato-san right?! I thought Ran-chan dislikes Minato-san? What are they doing together?'_

"I feel terrible, you could have spent time with Hazawa-san instead of me..." Yukina started guiltily, prompting Tsugumi to hide herself as she got closer to the two girls. "You should spend more time with your friends."

"Just because I'm new at this dating thing, doesn't mean that I don't know what my priorites are Minato-san." Ran replied curtly, though Tsugumi could detect a hint of worry in her words. "... I just worry that our bands may not accept our relationship..."

"I've faith in Roselia. Apart from Sayo that is." Tsugumi perked up upon hearing Sayo's name, listening intently to what Roselia's vocalist had to say about the stoic teal-haired guitarist. "... I'm not even sure if she's open to same-sex relationships..."

 _'Ack, Minato-san has a point... What's the use of having an interest in an unavailable girl?'_ Tsugumi thought sadly to herself, still listening on the couple's conversation.

" _That's_  your concern? Hell, I thought you were worried that she isn't open to cross-dating between Afterglow and Roselia."

"Mitake-san, only the two of us are... obsessed with the rivalry between our bands. I doubt Sayo even cares about Afterglow." Tsugumi gulped at Yukina's comment, feeling somewhat hurt by the unintentional phrasing. "... Ah, your ice cream is melting."

"So is yours Minato-san." Ran chuckled, and their chattering grew further away from where Tsugumi was hiding, prompting the keyboardist to step out from her hiding spot. Tsugumi regretted visiting the ice cream shop alone, had she not done so, she wouldn't be burdened with both the revelation and Moca's secret.

_'... What should I do now...?'_

* * *

"Tsugu~ Whatcha thinking?" Moca asked, nudging Tsugumi playfully. When the latter failed to respond, Moca started to worry. "Hey, are you okay?"

"O-Oh... Yeah, I'm good." Tsugumi half-heartedly replied, further adding on to Moca's worries. "Let's do our best at practice today yeah?"

"... Tsugu, you're not being your tsugurific self today... You can share your problems with ol' Moca-chan here ya know?" Moca offered, wondering to herself what could be the source of Tsugumi's rare rain cloud.  _'Did something happen to Tsugu during the student council meeting? Or was it because she didn't get to eat ice cream with any of us yesterday...? No... Tsugu isn't the petty type, so that can't be it...'_

"Oh, Moca and Tsugumi! Seems like it's only Ran now huh?" Tomoe entered the studio with Himari following closely behind her, both none the wiser about Tsugumi's mood. "Anyways, you guys wanna hang out after practice?"

"Sorry, I have to help my parents out today..." Tsugumi weakly offered a smile, which could fool everyone but Moca and herself. "Anyways, maybe you can use the time after this to have a date with Himari-chan?"

"Hehe~ You think so?" Himari sheepishly asked, while Tomoe ruffled her girlfriend's hair. Moca could only focus on Tsugumi's unhappy expression, wondering what did she go through in order to have such an expression.

"Sorry that I'm late." Ran apologised the moment she entered the studio, which caused Tsugumi's expression to worsen. It was ironic, how Tsugumi was considered the optimistic one of Afterglow and yet no one but Moca could tell that Tsugumi wasn't being her usual optimistic self.

 _'Tsugu looked sadder when Ran entered... did Ran tell her something bad?'_ Ran clapped her hands in an attempt to get everyone's attention, specifically Moca's. "Ran~ What took you so long?"

"Well... You know what, maybe I should just tell it to you guys now. I repeat Moca, don't go telling it to others." Ran took a deep breath, with every passing second worsening Tsugumi's upset expression. "I'm dating Minato-san."

"That's..." Moca realised why did Tsugumi look like she was about to cry at any moment, and she felt guilty for causing her friend such pain. "That's great~ We're now Roselia Glow~"

"Please keep it a secret from the others, especially from Roselia. I'm only telling you guys because I don't want to discover my band stalking me and Minato-san on one of our dates..." Moca grinned, but inside she felt like her heart was tearing into pieces. Was this what heartbreak felt? If it was, Moca hoped that this would be the first and only time she would have to experience such pain.

"I didn't expect it! I thought you would get together with Moca-chan!" Himari remarked, which caused Moca to flinch. Tsugumi immediately excused herself, glancing in Moca's direction before she left the studio. Moca instantly realised what Tsugumi was trying to tell her, and immediately followed after Tsugumi.

"Tsugu, what is it?" Moca asked, following Tsugumi to the washroom. At that moment, Tsugumi broke down, shedding tears that Moca didn't knew she could shed.  _'... Why is Tsugu crying? I'm the one who should be crying here...'_

"I'm so sorry that you have to find out this way Moca-chan... I didn't want to tell you that I saw them yesterday at the ice cream place that I wanna go!" Tsugumi explained between her sobs, prompting Moca to pat her back awkwardly. "I-I... I shouldn't be the one crying here right? I'm not the one who's in love with Ran-chan after all..."

"... It hurts, even though I knew that my love wouldn't bear fruit." Moca softly added, averting her eyes away from her reflection in the washroom mirror. "Haha~ But Ran's happy, so I'm happy enough to laugh~"

"How can you laugh when you got yourself heartbroken?"

"How is it that you can feel how hurt Moca-chan is? This is why you're so tsugurific." Moca choked out a laugh, trying her best to stay composed for her friend.  _'The roles are reversed here... Oh well, Tsugu crying is way better than me crying... When was the last time I cried though?'_

"W-What does 'tsugurific'  _even_  mean?" Tsugumi asked between her sniffling, hastily drying her tears away with the back of her hands. Moca shrugged, offering her a packet of tissue that she didn't even know she had in her jacket pockets. Tsugumi accepted the tissues, blowing her nose on the soft paper. "T-Thanks."

"Feeling better Tsugu?" Tsugumi shakily nodded, not reassuring Moca the slightest. "I'm gonna text the rest that you got your period or something, then I'm bringing you back to your place."

"There's no need... You should go home."

"In a way, it's Moca-chan's fault that you're crying here. So let me be a good Moca-chan and escort you back home~" Tsugumi sniffled, but she managed to crack a smile at Moca's words.  _'... Sorry for making you cry, you're a good friend Tsugu.'_

* * *

**[mocabread]**

**_[9.28 PM]_ **

**Tsugu:** Moca-chan, thanks again for sending me back home ^^

 **mocabread:** its cool~

 **mocabread:**  u still crying?

 **Tsugu:** No, I'm better

 **Tsugu:** Sad, but better

 **mocabread:** hey tsugu u wanna get ice cream tmr aft sch?

 **Tsugu:** Ahhh I can't...

 **Tsugu:** I have student council duties...

 **mocabread:** too bad

 **mocabread:** well i hv part time anyways

 **Tsugu:** Haha and yet you still invited me?

 **mocabread:** ice cream makes everything better dun u know?

 **mocabread:** oh im gonna text saya n tell her to make ice cream puffs at her bakery

 **mocabread:** bye~

 **Tsugu:** Good night ^^

"... Pffft... Ice cream puffs can't last for long in room temperature. Moca-chan, you're so silly." Tsugumi softly chuckled to herself as she curled up in her blanket, the harsh light from her phone ruining her eyesight with every passing second spent in her blanket.  _'I wonder how does Moca-chan feel about it...? Will she react the same way I did if she saw Sayo-san with someone else...?'_

* * *

"Fwah~ So sleepy..." Moca yawned, resting her head on the counter while her coworker, Lisa Imai, chuckled at the sight. Moca had plans to not turn up for work, but then she would lose out on extra cash to purchase the bread from Yamabuki Bakery. Something about opportunity cost, Moca didn't know nor care. "Hey hey~ Would you believe me if I said that Ran and Minachi are dating?"

"You know about it?!" Lisa asked in disbelief, which grabbed Moca's attention. She didn't expect Lisa to know about it, considering that Ran begged her to not reveal it to Roselia. "Do you know that I stalked them for  _weeks_  just to catch them kissing up on the roof?! To think that I'm Yukina's childhood friend... wait, how do  _you_  know about it?"

"Ah~ Ran told Afterglow about it yesterday. She said to not tell you guys though, so oops~" Moca breezed past Ran's words, a slight hint of disappointment wavering in her voice.  _'Curses. I purposely told Lisachi about their relationship and yet she's already aware? Man, being passive-aggressive's hard...'_

"Haha~ I was planning to keep it a secret from the rest anyways, I want Yukina to come out to us on her own~"

"That's great~" Moca hummed, plotting a new plan to be passive-aggressive. Not that she was any good, considering that she wears her heart on her sleeves. "Say, is Lisachi dating anyone?"

"N-Nah... I already have Sayo breathing down my neck with regards to music..." Moca nodded, deciding that if she couldn't have her way, she might as well tease Roselia's bassist for a bit.

"Ara~ I was expecting her to be breathing down your neck while whispering sweet nothings..." It was just a hit and miss kind of gamble, and if Moca was being honest, never in a million years would she expect Lisa to be dating Sayo. However, since she had already suggested that pairing, she might as well roll with it. "Imagine her kissing your collar bone and softly chuckling as you mewl in response..."

"H-Hey!  _I'm_ the one who's doing all that to Sayo! And Moca, you need to stop reading porn!" Lisa retorted, sending Moca into shock. Within a minute, Moca had single-handedly discovered that Lisa's dating Sayo, who so happened to be Tsugumi's object of interest. In that instant, a sudden surge of emotion threatened to spill from her eyes, resembling how Tsugumi had reacted when Ran revealed that she was dating Yukina. "W-Whoa! Moca, are you okay?! You look like you're gonna cry!"

"That's... That's because I'm so proud of my Lisachi~ You got a girlfriend before ol' Moca-chan here, and what's more you bagged a tsundere~ Atta girl." Moca decided to just cry, since Lisa had already picked up on it.  _'Why...? Why am I crying for Tsugu? Am I even crying for her? What went through Tsugu's head when she saw Ran and Minachi two days ago?'_

"Imai-san... and Aoba-san? Imai-san, what did you do to Aoba-san?" Both employees glanced at the third voice, which belonged to Sayo. Sayo looked more irritated than concerned, but the handkerchief in her right hand said otherwise. "Aoba-san, use this to dry your tears. How unsightly."

"B-But~ You're dating Lisachi~" Moca sobbed, purposely omitting certain words to give the couple the wrong impression. Sayo's emerald eyes widened, looking absolutely horrified at Moca's revelation. She turned to Lisa, who was scratching her left cheek sheepishly.  _'Tsugu will be so heartbroken if she knew about this... it's not like she knew about this beforehand like me...'_

"I-I'm sure Moca can keep it a secret! C'mon, don't you trust her?" Lisa gulped, trying to pacify her livid girlfriend who was on the brink of smashing her head in with her guitar. Thank god her blue guitar was at home, waiting for its mistress to pick her up again for practice.

"Yeah~ Place a lil' trust in ol' Moca-chan will ya Sacchan?" Moca sniffed, drying her tears with Sayo's handkerchief.  _'I've kept the fact that Ran's been dating Minachi for three months from the rest, what's another secret?'_

"Don't call me that. We've barely talked to each other."

"Yeah, and within a minute I've found out that Lisachi's the one topping in the relationship~ How long have you two been dating anyways?"

"... Since our first year." Moca was surprised to hear that Sayo's the one replying, though the furious blush on her cheeks indicated that she was embarrassed that her relationship was exposed. "You better not say a damn thing to anyone, I've kept this a secret for months now and I don't need  _you_ screwing up."

"Yes yes~" Moca grinned, leaving the couple alone for a few minutes (even though she totally shouldn't since they were still at work). Once out of sight, Moca punched a wall, hissing in pain a second later.  _'Damn it. Tsugu... Tsugu can't know about this. But then... I can't just let her fall more in love with Sacchan... What the hell should I do...?'_

* * *

**[Afterglow]**

_**[6.31 PM]** _

**Hii-chan:** so its 4.15 tmr right?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Haha yep! ^^

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaan

 **TaikoTomoe:** Uh Himari, maybe dun do tht?

 **Hii-chan:** but she never responds

 **Hii-chan:** motherfker if u r seeing this say something u bitch

 **Tsugu:** Why are you saying such mean things?

 **mocabread:** i bet ran's busy with a certain someone

 **mocabread:** u guys know who i mean yea?

 **Tsugu:** Let's give her the benefit of doubt?

 **Hii-chan:** hm gd point

 **Hii-chan:**  do u think tht they r at the park playing with cats?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hahahahaha

 **TaikoTomoe:** Wait, ur serious?

 **mocabread:** actually i was thinking of something more adult

 **Tsugu:** Adult?

 **mocabread:** it involves a bed, sweat n lots of screaming

 **TaikoTomoe:** What the ever loving hell Moca?!!!!

 **TaikoTomoe:** Dun corrupt my very pure girlfriend thk u very much!

 **Tsugu:** I don't think Ran-chan would be doing that with Minato-senpai at this hour...

 **Hii-chan:**  ????

 **Hii-chan:** i dun get it

 **TaikoTomoe:** N let's have it tht way

 **TaikoTomoe:** Himari, ignore Moca

 **TaikoTomoe:** She's being a little shit like always

 **mocabread:** whaaaaat no im not

 **mocabread:** im as fluffy as bread

 **Tsugu:** Pretty sure that's not related to what Tomoe-chan's saying?

**_[8.56 PM]_ **

**Raaaaaan:** Tsugumi's right, that's not related to the conversation.

 **Mocabread:** raaaaaaaaan ur here

 **Mocabread:** moca-chan misses u

 **Tsugu:** ^^;

 **TaikoTomoe:** Rlly though, wht were u doing?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Pls dun say tht u saw our messages but u decided to ignore them

 **Raaaaaan:** I was busy writing a new song.

 **Mocabread:** Suuuuure writing or 'writing'?

 **Tsugu:** MOCA-CHAN!

 **Hii-chan:**  ?????

 **Hii-chan:** i dun get it

 **Hii-chan:**  can someone explain

 **mocabread:** well the first one is actual writing while the second one is adult activities

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hhhhhhhhhh

 **TaikoTomoe:** Someone kick Moca out of this grp?????

 **Hii-chan:**  ?????

 **Hii-chan:**  why?

 **Tsugu:** Ahahaha... ^^;

**_[11.02 PM]_ **

**Raaaaaan:** So should I confirm that I was 'writing' just now?

 **mocabread:** i knew it

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hhhhhhhhhh

 **TaikoTomoe:** Why Ran, why?

 **Tsugu:** Wait, you mean you were with Minato-senpai just now?

 **Hii-chan:**  ??????

 **Hii-chan:** i dun get it

 **Hii-chan:**  why is she with ran just now?

 **Raaaaaan:** Actually I'm still over at her place.

 **Raaaaaan:** Her parents aren't at home.

 **mocabread:** pretty sure lisachi lives next door?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Moca, there's something called curtains

 **Hii-chan:** can someone pls explain wht r they talking abt

 **mocabread:** permission to corrupt hii-chan?

 **TaikoTomoe:** DENIED

 **Raaaaaan:** This might be funny, so sure.

 **TaikoTomoe:** THT'S MY GIRLFRIEND??????

 **TaikoTomoe:** WHY DO U HV RIGHTS TO HER?!

 **Tsugu:** Hahahaha ^^;

 **TaikoTomoe:** SOMEONE KICK THAT SHIT OUT OF THE GRP CHAT PLSSSS

* * *

"Moca-chan, what you did yesterday wasn't very nice." Tsugumi sighed as she washed a plate while Moca leant against the classroom's fridge. She had just ended another one of her sweets baking lessons, and right now she was in the process of cleaning up. Moca wasn't helping at all, and both of them knew that Moca wouldn't help at all. "You should apologise to Tomoe-chan."

"... Ya know, ruining a relationship sounds pretty rock don't ya think?" Moca suggested callously, shocking Tsugumi so much that she had dropped the plate into the sink. Thankfully it was made of plastic. "I mean, I'll feel bad for Hii-chan and Tomo-chin but yeah~"

"Is there something you want to say?"

"... What do you mean?" Moca tilted her head in an attempt to feign confusion, but Tsugumi could tell that the guitarist knew  _exactly_ what she meant.

"For starters, why are you suddenly saying things about ruining a relationship? That's not like you Moca-chan, and don't try telling me that you have some 'hidden darkness' or something like that!" Tsugumi was worried, worried that the heartbreak had finally taken its toll on Moca. Love was a bittersweet thing, and Moca was unfortunate enough to get the bitter end of the emotion.  _'I have to be strong for Moca-chan...'_

"... Tsugu, how did you feel when you saw Ran with Minachi?"

"I-I felt really sad, as though I was heartbroken? It's weird right? Getting heartbroken for a friend... Ahaha..." Tsugumi awkwardly giggled, trying her best to make her emotions sound trivial.  _'Oh no, please don't say that I've reopened old wounds...'_

"I... I feel the same Tsugu. When I found out that Sacchan's dating someone." Moca admitted, biting her lip in a desperate attempt to curb an outburst. Tsugumi's face fell, unsure if she should simply cry like what she did two days ago or she should comfort Moca like what the latter did. "... I didn't want to tell you, but I don't want you to fall for her hard like what I did with Ran."

"It's alright, I should thank you." Tsugumi replied, pulling out a handkerchief from her apron and offering it to Moca afterwards. "Here, you're crying."

"... Ya know, ol' Moca-chan hasn't been honest with you." Moca chuckled self-depreciatingly, which re-sparked Tsugumi's worries. "... I knew about Ran and Minachi since day one. I wanted to confess to Ran that day, but Minachi beat me to it. Ran caught me afterwards, and made me swear to never tell anyone until they're ready to break the news."

"T-That means you... for three months... Moca-chan..." Tsugumi sniffled, tears starting to spill from her eyes. For three months, Moca had bottled up her true feelings, only allowing it to spill just three days ago.  _'Even then, she probably told me as she trusted me... Moca-chan suffered for so long, why couldn't I tell?'_

"Haha~ I remember that I was so heartbroken, I ate spicy stuff for weeks~"

"Why can you still laugh? You got yourself rejected before you could say anything!"

"Hey Tsugu, why are you so concerned about ol' Moca-chan?" Moca asked, raising a question that Tsugumi herself had asked but didn't have an answer to. "Keep this up, and I might just think that you like me more than Sacchan."

"W-What's with the new nicknames for Minato-senpai and Sayo-san?" Tsugumi asked, changing topics as she was presented with one of the many possible answers.  _'Me... liking Moca-chan? Do I really like her...? But... it does makes sense. Why else would I cry over Moca-chan's pain? Then again... what about Sayo-san?'_

"Just being a passive-aggressive Moca-chan~" Moca answered, providing the keyboardist a proper explanation soon after. "Since those two hate nicknames, I figured that this is the best way to annoy them while maintaining friendly relations with Roselia."

"That's... actually a decent idea."

"I know right?" Tsugumi frowned, unable to take her mind off Moca's suggestion. "... Do you wanna know who's dating Sacchan?"

"... Hina-chan?" Moca blinked once. Then twice. Then she howled in unrestrained laughter, amused at Tsugumi's answer. "I-I'm being serious! I can't think of anyone else who loves Sayo-san to the point of love!"

"Whatever you say~" Moca's phone buzzed, which was an alarm for Moca to head home. "Gotta dash, dinner's ready."

"See you in school then." Moca nodded, heading for the exit. Seeing Tsugumi's curious expresson made Moca wonder if she should reveal the answer that she wanted, and it had also made her heart skip a beat.

 _'... This is the same feeling whenever I look at Ran... TsuguMoca huh?'_ Moca smiled wryly to herself, cocking her head back in order to face Tsugumi. "It's Lisachi. Sacchan's been dating her since last year."

"Lisa-chan huh? She's a nice girl- wait,  _last year_?!" Tsugumi repeated the last two words uncertainly, calling out to Moca's retreating figure to confirm her reponse. "H-Hey Moca-chan! I thought Roselia was formed five months ago?! Are you sure it isn't last month?! There's a huge difference between a month and a year!"

* * *

"Will Tsugu be alright? It's been four months but still..." Moca sighed, it has been four months since she revealed to Tsugumi that Sayo was taken. Granted, Tsugumi was doing a lot better and it gave Moca hope that she had finally moved on. Her expression clouded as she saw who was pacing in front of Hazawa Cafe, reminding her of getting rejected by Ran indirectly. "Oh~ If it isn't Minachi~ Ara~ Is Minachi mad?"

"Aoba-san, I would appreciate if you call me 'Minato-san' like what you used to." The silver-haired vocalist curtly requested, her glare still on the silver-haired guitarist. "That aside, I take it that you're here to visit Hazawa-san?"

"Yep, Moca's hoping to get a free meal at Tsugu's place after helping Sacchan and Hinachi~" Moca replied, a teasing smirk on her features. "Why is Minachi here though? Moca doesn't remember Minachi asking Tsugu for baking advice~"

"Baking advice?" Yukina repeated, turning her head towards the cafe's entrance. Moca clicked her tongue, mildly irritated that the sore reminder of what could have been was outside Tsugumi's place.

 _'... I want Ran to be happy, even if it means hurting myself...'_ Moca silently thought to herself, walking towards Yukina with a bright smile plastered on her face. "Hey hey, why don't you come in? Moca-chan's positive that you need help with baking~"

"I don't have time for this. Besides, what makes you think that I don't know how to bake?" Yukina groaned, her feet shuffling as their owner contemplated if she should just return back home.

"Lisachi said that you suck at it though?" Moca replied in a heartbeat, intentionally insulting Yukina's cooking skills with a verified fact from Yukina's best friend.  _'What I'm saying is that you should go level up your cooking if you want me to wholeheartedly accept you as Ran's girlfriend.'_

"Even if that might be the case, I don't have time for baking. I have to get back to practice, Roselia's due to perform in five days." Yukina sighed, folding her arms in an attempt to resist Moca.

"But Valentine's tomorrow, and don't you think Ran will like a cookie from Minachi?" Yukina visibly flinched at her girlfriend's name, a blush slowly spreading on her cheeks. "Or chocolate. She likes bitter chocolate too ya know."

"... I just remembered that I have something important to ask Sayo about." Yukina eventually said, entering the cafe while Moca followed behind, a Cheshire grin plastered all over her face as she mumbled 'too easy' under her breath. Moca then wandered upstairs, where she found Tsugumi changing her top. The guitarist wasn't able to take her eyes off Tsugumi's striped bra, which prompted Tsugumi to throw a t-shirt at Moca's face in sheer embarrassment.

"Oh c'mon Tsugu~ I've seen you in a swimsuit before, what's the deal with seeing you in your bra?"

"S-Swimsuits and lingerie are two different things!" Tsugumi replied, hastily putting on a lavender blouse before removing the t-shirt on Moca's face. "Are you going to join Sayo-san and Hina-chan?"

"Nah, cooking takes up too much effort~ Oh, but Minachi's here." Moca shrugged, casually leaning against a wall like what bad boys do in movies. "Caught her outside your place so I invited her in."

"... And you're fine with that?" Tsugumi asked, concern etched across her face. Moca nodded silently, pushing herself against the wall. "Well... if you say so."

"Oh my god onee-chan! Yukina-chan thinks that we're totally dating! How boppin' is that?!" Hina's exclaimation startled the two Afterglow members from their conversation, resulting in the duo laughing at Hina's exclaimation.

"Tsugu~ Hear that? You're not the only one who ships HinaSayo~"

"I-I was desperate then!"

* * *

"Ah! Minato-san! Moca-chan informed me that you'll be joining us today!" Tsugumi said, walking down the stairs that led to the Hazawas' residence. Moca followed, grinning all the way as Yukina levelled a glare that could rival Sayo's. "It's going to be so fun!"

"... My aim for today is to bake the best cookies. There's no room for fun in something as serious as baking." Yukina sighed, accepting defeat while Sayo wondered why would Yukina be willing to bake cookies at Tsugumi's place. "By the way Hazawa-san, why is the cafe empty today?"

"Ah, my parents have to visit my granduncle's funeral but refused to let me go as it'll take a week. As such, we've decided to close the cafe until they come back. Oh, and we also decided to suspend the sweets baking lessons!" Tsugumi explained, putting on a green apron before offering Yukina a purple one. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, and my condolences for your granduncle's passing." Yukina took the apron, and stared intently at the pawprint pattern on the purple fabric.

"Tsugumi-chan, let's continue!" Hina looked like she was about to explode from waiting, causing Tsugumi to laugh gently.

"Sure! Minato-san, Sayo-san, shall we head back to the sweets baking classroom?" Tsugumi asked as she led Hina and Yukina back to the classroom, unaware that she had left Sayo alone with Moca, who had no plans to bake a single cookie.

"Aoba-san, are you not joining us?" Sayo asked Moca, who was studying Roselia's guitarist. Ever since she had found out that Sayo was dating Lisa, she constantly thought to herself what was so good about her that both Tsugumi and Lisa liked her. Well, she wasn't entirely sure about Tsugumi now that it had been months... but it didn't hurt to analyse Sayo did it?

_'Sacchan's a serious person... Lisachi's pretty easy-going, and she can see through people if she wants to so I guess she can break down Sacchan's defences... Tsugu... Tsugu's an empathetic person, but Sacchan's stubborn personality might wear her out if they actually dated... Thank god they aren't dating.'_

"Aoba-san?" Sayo repeated, snapping Moca out of her analysis. How long was she out for? Did Sayo notice anything strange about her? Without thinking much, Moca quickly replied, hoping that Sayo didn't find something amiss.

"Ahhh, I'm only here for the cookies. Hurry up and bake something for ol' Moca-chan here~" Technically, Moca wasn't lying. She  _did_ come over for the promise of something to eat... but Moca was more interested in seeing Tsugumi again. A faint blush dusted her cheeks, which thankfully went unnoticed by Sayo.  _'Hahaha~ I guess I'm falling deeper into Tsugu hell. Or is it heaven? Eh, whatever.'_

"Please don't order me around." Sayo simply replied, heading into the classroom where Tsugumi looked positively horrified at the ingredients on the table she and Hina used. Moca followed, though she didn't physically enter the classroom and decided to leave the door open. "What seems to be the problem?"

"U-Um... How many cookies are you two planning to bake?" Tsugumi looked horrified at the amount of cookie dough on the table the twins were using. Moca whistled, impressed by the number of cookies one could make with that amount of cookie dough.  _'T-This is too much, even for friends...'_

"Enough for one. I'm not too sure for Hina's and Minato-san's cases."

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna make as many as Aya-chan can eat!" Hina replied, as though it was obvious. Sayo groaned, while Yukina looked as though she regretted not putting up a fight when Moca revealed that she would be joining in. Tsugumi, on the other hand, was on the verge of fainting while Moca snickered from where she stood. "What's with the not so boppin' reactions?"

"Maybe because you're going to ruin Maruyama-san's career as an idol?" Sayo suggested, hoping that Hina could read between the lines. Hina took a moment to consider her twin's words, and for a moment Sayo genuinely believed that Hina had understood what was she implying.

"... I mean, Aya-chan's career as an idol isn't gonna fly anytime soon, so I don't see how am I ruining it." Moca howled in laughter at Hina's comically serious response, while the rest looked appropriately horrified. Moca wanted to quip in and add on to Hina's insult, but held her tongue as she locked eyes with Tsugumi, who was silently begging Moca to stay out of it.

"... Moving on, what are the steps to baking cookies?" Yukina ignored Hina's comment, holding up an instruction sheet left on the table. "I don't understand what does the guide mean by 'preheating the oven'."

"Oh, it means you switch on the oven and turn it up to the temperature specified!" Tsugumi cheerfully replied, grateful for Yukina's predicament. Yukina nodded, staring at the numerous buttons on the oven. "It's recommended that the oven's preheated to 200 degrees Celsius!"

"... And may I ask which button is to switch the oven on?" Since Ran was dating Yukina, Afterglow was privy to certain pieces of information that Yukina would rather keep it close to her chest. Then again, Moca worked with Lisa. The latter was bound to recount Yukina's hilariously disastrous attempts at cooking to the bread-loving Moca. Moca smirked, while Tsugumi resisted the urge to groan at Yukina's lack of... well, whatever she didn't know about cooking.

"Hey onee-chan, so you know how Aya-chan likes omurice and hamburg steak right?" Hina suddenly asked as Sayo was busy measuring the amount of sugar she was planning to use in her batch of cookies. This had grabbed Moca's attention, expecting the conversation to take an interestingly weird turn.

"No, I don't and why the sudden question?"

"Well... I mean, since I want Aya-chan to like the cookies I make, I should add in something that she likes right?" Moca had to clamp both hands so that the rest couldn't hear her laughing at Hina's suggestion. Tsugumi noticed Moca's reaction, but was more concerned about how serious Hina was as she suggested to basically give Aya food poisoning. "Soooo... do you think I should add in rice? Or should I add in patties instead?"

"Hina, there's a reason why we follow the instructions given." Tsugumi agreed with Sayo's words, with Moca booing Roselia's guitarist from where she stood. Tsugumi was about to shoot Moca a glare, but was instead taken aback by Sayo's continuation. "But if you must, the patties are easier to add in than rice."

"I knew you would agree with me! I'm gonna go out to buy some! Hey Yukina-chan, do you need any other ingredients?" Hina asked Yukina, who had difficulties measuring the amount of flour needed for her batch of cookies much to Moca's bemusement.

"Ingredients? I was under the assumption that Hazawa-san has everything we need."

"Minachi~ Don't you think Ran would like to have something bitter?" Moca asked, earning herself a sympathetic look from Tsugumi.  _'Ahhhh... Don't look at me like that Tsugu, it's easier for me to see Ran happy ya know.'_

"... You're right. Hina-san, I don't suppose you could purchase some dark chocolate and peas?" Tsugumi facepalmed for the very first time in her life, while Moca opened and closed her mouth like a dying fish. Peas were definitely  _not_  part of Moca's suggestion, and all of a sudden, Moca regretted not intervening when Hina expressed her unconscious desire to make Aya ill.

"Peas? They don't make the cookies taste boppin' though..." At this point, Tsugumi was replused by the conversation flow and turned to Sayo, who simply groaned. Tsugumi felt sorry for Sayo, since she probably had to entertain Hina's ridiculous (and borderline dangerous) ideas.

"Tsugu~ Do you have any cookies? I'm starving~" Moca whined, entering the classroom just as Hina gave Sayo a conspirational wink before skipping out of the classroom.

"Nope, but you can have some of the chocolate chips." Tsugumi replied, patiently showing Yukina how to crack an egg. Moca nodded, grabbing said packet of chocolate chips and grabbing a fistful of the dessert. She ate as she watched Yukina smashing an egg into the bowl, who panicked a second later on how she could get the eggshells out without contaminating the mix. "Minato-san, it's easier to crack the eggs by tapping on the bowl's rim!"

 _'Oh? Sacchan's deep in thought... let's scare her a lil'~'_ Moca hummed the tune to 'Jaws', steathily creeping towards Sayo and then... "Boo~"

"... Aoba-san, may I ask what was your purpose of startling me out of my thoughts?" Sayo huffed, her chest rising up and down as she tried to compose herself.

"Hm? No reason really~" Moca hummed, a twinkle in her eyes that betrayed her next move. "Say, how are things between you and her?"

"... I don't know what do you mean. Besides, who's this 'her' you speak of?" Sayo responded, serving Moca a cold glare that threatened to make her life hell if she revealed her secret. Tsugumi flinched, her brown eyes glancing their way as she hoped that Moca wouldn't start anything...

"Ehhh~ Don't be like that~" Moca pouted, her attention now on Yukina and Tsugumi. Tsugumi did her best to shake her head without attracting attention from Yukina and Sayo, but she knew that it was a futile attempt to stop Moca. "Hey Minachi, now that HinaSayo isn't a thing, who do you think Sacchan could be dating?"

"Aoba-san, please address me properly." Moca simply smiled, though for those who knew better like Tsugumi, Moca wasn't smiling at all. In fact, if Tsugumi could use one word to sum up Moca's true expression... it would be 'spiteful'. "And by the way, if I was  _actually_  dating Hina, the ship name would be 'SayoHina'. Not the other way around."

"Sayo, is that what you're concerned about...?" Yukina asked, taken aback by Sayo's priorities. Tsugumi coughed, not expecting Sayo's willingness to go with the flow. It was times like these that made Moca wished that Hina was present to worsen the situtaion, but unfortunately she was out purchasing ingredients guaranteed to make Aya (and possibly Ran) regret dating.

"Hey Sacchan-"

"It's 'Hikawa-san' to you."

"How come Minachi doesn't know about your love life?" Moca asked, finally revealing Sayo's secret to Yukina. Tsugumi tried to intervene, but at that point in time, it seemed as though her presence was non-existent. Sayo gulped, briefly glancing at Yukina, who didn't betray any emotions apart from a burning gaze in Sayo's direction.

"Onee-chaaaaaaan! I managed to buy the last bottle of vinegar! With this, Lisa-chan will love your cookies!" Hina burst into the classroom, holding a plastic bag containing ingredients that most certainly didn't belong in baking sweets. "Hehe~ Onee-chan, you might just be a decent girlfriend this year!"

"Hina-san, are you trying to say that Lisa is dating Sayo?" Yukina spoke up, an unreadable expression present on her face. Moca's face fell, that certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting to see on Yukina's face. In her opinion, it was pretty anti-climatic and disappointing.

_'Geez, what happened to the ol' slap that dramas promised me? This must be why they say that TV shows are deceptive...'_

* * *

"I don't understand, you said that you've been dating Lisa for two years now. Roselia was only formed last year, so how is it possible that you could have met Lisa before then?" Yukina interrogated, making Sayo squirm in her seat. Due to the sudden revelation thanks to Hina, the five of them were taking a 'break' from baking. Moca was enjoying every moment of Yukina's interrogation while Tsugumi was expectedly uncomfortable with the way she shifted in her seat. It was considerably normal... if it weren't for the fact that Hina was surprisingly silent and looked regretful.

"Well... Hina was in Imai-san's class during their first year... and she brought Imai-san over once to do a project..." Sayo shot Moca a quick glare before returning her gaze towards Yukina. "Believe me, I was very shocked to see Imai-san showing up on the day Udagawa-san auditioned to be a part of Roselia."

"I recall that Lisa introduced herself as though both of you were strangers?"

"... I was also surprised that she was able to treat me like I was a stranger then. Her acting skills are decent, though I suppose it can't be on par with Shirasagi-san and Seta-san..."

"I see. While I'm impressed with your work ethic, I'm not fully convinced that you're dedicated to Lisa." Both Tsugumi and Hina were startled by Yukina's sudden protectiveness towards Lisa, while Moca simply played with her phone. At that moment, Tsugumi imagined Yukina acting protective towards Ran... her fantasies interrupted by Yukina's following words. "Trying to keep your relationship a secret... it seems to me that you're ashamed of dating Lisa."

_'Yikes, that's harsh. Though I can see why would Minato-san see it that way...'_

"Oh c'mon Minachi~ You would have done the same as Sacchan, but ol' Moca-chan here immediately found out that you're dating Ran~" Moca quipped, sending Yukina in a blushing fit while Sayo pointed an accusatory finger at Roselia's vocalist.

"You  _are_ dating Mitake-san! Aoba-san was indeed hinting that you two are in a relationship!"

"Hey onee-chan, does it really matter who's dating who? You two make it sound like it's a bad thing." Hina interjected, having enough of a conversation that was going nowhere. "Yukina-chan, onee-chan may be a big meanie, but she really,  _reaaaaally_  loves Lisa-chan!"

"Yeah~ Just like Minachi becomes a mushy mess when with Ran~ Oh, maybe Ran's like a cat, that's why Minachi goes easy on Ran! Tsugu, whaddya think 'bout that?" Moca asked, forcefully bringing Tsugumi into a conversation she didn't wish to be a part of.

"E-Eh?! W-Well um... m-maybe Sayo-san shouldn't have kept her relationship a secret? I-I don't know! Didn't Ran-chan specifically told you to not tell Roselia about their relationship?" Tsugumi replied, flustered by the sudden interest in her opinion. To be honest, Tsugumi just wanted to see everyone happy even it meant reminding herself that Sayo could never be hers. Moca was getting a kick out of the conversation, which made Tsugumi wonder if she was secretly a sadist. "A-Anyways, now both of you are aware that you two are dating someone right?"

"What disturbs me is that Lisa, my childhood friend, didn't tell me that she's dating someone and I have to find out from Hina-san."

"... At least  _you_  don't have an annoying twin trying to hook you up with Mitake-san..." Sayo sighed, drumming her fingers on top of the table that was in front of her. "Well, at least now I can fully debunk that irrational claim made by Udagawa-san that I'm dating Hina."

"Oh c'mon, we'll make a zappin' couple!" Hina protested, her cheerful attitude coming back as quickly as it went away. "I mean, we're sisters after all!"

"Exactly why that claim's utterly disturbing. God, this isn't some comedy manga where our sisterly relationship can be used as a running gag!" Moca chuckled, shooting Tsugumi a knowing look. Tsugumi awkwardly giggled, ashamed that she had considered the possibility of the twins dating each other. Yukina nodded in agreement to Sayo's words, resulting in a short lull in the conversation. "Anyways, I would like to get back to baking. I have plans to practice after this."

"Yay~ Sacchan's cookies~" Moca said, but she was more interested in someone else's cookies. Plus they were definitely tastier than what Sayo had to offer.  _'Tsugu's cookies are all mine today~ Oh, but did she bake any? Damn it, I hope she did...'_

"Will you  _stop_  calling me that?! How the hell does Afterglow tolerate you?!" Tsugumi wanted to say something in retaliation, she wanted to reveal that Moca was just feeling bitter about her best friend dating Yukina, she wanted to reveal that Moca had a right to feel bitter because the girl she liked for  _years_  was stolen right in front of her by someone Ran knew for at most  _months_. She couldn't get the words out though, afraid that she would ruin her friendship with Sayo and the rest of Roselia. All she could do was to silently follow Sayo back into the classroom, with Moca patting her back as consolation.

"It's okay Tsugu, I'm over it." Moca smirked, but that did nothing to alleviate Tsugumi's worries. "Really. Someone else filled in Ran's position~"

"... By someone else, do you mean Yamabuki's bread?"

"Hehe~ It's a Moca-chan secret~" Moca placed a finger on her lips, sauntering towards Sayo where the latter proceeded to yell at her for revealing her secret. Tsugumi clutched her the part of her apron that covered her heart, disappointment overwhelming her.

_'Someone else...? Who could it be...? And... why does my heart hurt...?'_

* * *

"Hina-san, pray tell what are you doing with that patty mix?" Yukina asked Hina, who was adding said mixture into her cookie dough. Hina beamed, giving Yukina a peace sign before shaping the dough. "Hina-san, I may not be well versed in baking, but I'm confident that patty mix and cookie dough don't belong."

"Says the person who's adding peas into one half of her cookie dough." Hina pointed out, bringing Sayo's attention to Yukina's cookie dough. Yukina bit her lip, having caught red-handed for adding undesirable ingredients into the dough.

"How is it that Hazawa-san didn't notice?" Sayo sighed, picking up a bottle of colourless liquid and adding it into her own dough. Tsugumi ignored Sayo's comment, focusing on her own activities. It wasn't that she didn't notice, it was because she wanted to see Ran's reaction to the pea-filled cookies. She knew that it was extremely uncharacteristic of her, but she could imagine herself giggling away with Moca as Ran grumbled at Yukina's cookies.

"Ah... That's..." Yukina's voice trailed off, choosing not to continue with what she was about to say. Hina snickered, while Tsugumi and Moca, who were both observing their progress, had varying reactions. Moca was, obviously, smirking at Sayo's blunder while Tsugumi was horrified at how bitter the cookies would be when Lisa received them. Still, she wasn't going to say a thing. She didn't know why, but for once, she wanted to laugh at the reactions when the unlucky recipients ate the disastrous cookies.

"I'm hoping that Imai-san will like this. This is my first time baking solely for her after all..." Sayo trailed off, scooping out her cookie dough and shaping them with a star-shaped cookie cutter. "Hey Hina, do you want to try a small piece?"

"E-Eh?! Uh... nah~ Just save them all for Lisa-chan!" Sayo nodded, secretly grateful that Hina didn't take up on her offer. Hina and Yukina went about with their own baking, with the latter trying her best to melt the dark chocolate Hina had bought. "Yukina-chan, you need set it on medium heat."

"... And how do I do that?" Yukina was helpless, she didn't understand what the symbols on the gas stove meant.

"For this, you need to turn the switch to this sign over here..." Tsugumi made her way to Yukina's side, gently teaching her what should she do in order to heat up the chocolate.  _'I think I'm starting to understand where's Moca-chan coming from when she wanted to annoy Sayo-san and Minato-san... Wait, does that make me a sadist too?!'_

"I see, I would have to stir it at intervals... Thank you Hazawa-san."

"It's my pleasure! Though... why did you add peas into one half of the cookie dough? Ran-chan hates peas."

"... I was thinking of a cookie version of Russian Roulette." Tsugumi blanched, staring at the pea-filled cookies and then at the remaning cookie batter Yukina had set aside for her second batch of cookies. The first batch contained burnt cookies, and Tsugumi was positive that Yukina would forget to stir the chocolate and allow it to burn at one point. Not that she would tell Yukina, since not only was the possible result entertaining for Tsugumi but also Yukina had that earnest face that the former couldn't say no to.

"Ooh! Cookie Roulette! That's a boppin' idea Yukina-chan!" Hina remarked, slamming the over door shut as she waited for her cookies to bake. "I bet Aya-chan will love my cookie burgers though!"

"Hina, I honestly doubt that even Cookie Monster will want to eat your cookie burgers." Sayo shook her head as she carefully placed her tray of cookies into her assigned oven. "I don't mean to be rude Minato-san, but I'm fairly confident that my batch of cookies will turn out better than yours and Hina's."

"... Sure, I'm... looking forward to it?" Yukina replied, and Tsugumi could see the pain evident in the vocalist's gold eyes. Yukina clearly wanted to protect Lisa's health, but the proud smile on Sayo's features made Yukina question whether she should shatter Sayo's dignity.

 _'If it was Moca-chan, she would have no qualms smashing Sayo-san's ego into tiny pieces...'_ Tsugumi glanced at Moca, who was shaking her head in a mocking way.  _'... Yep, she might even smash those tiny pieces into even tinier pieces.'_

"Tsugu~ Moca-chan's hungry~ Feed me~" Moca's sudden declaration prompted Tsugumi to offer a honey lemon pudding from the classroom's fridge, which was Moca's favourite apart from bread. Thanks to Himari's suggestions, the Hazawas managed to not only polish up on their honey lemon cheesecake (which was their most popular dessert) but also push out honey lemon puddings.

"Here you go, this is your favourite dessert from our cafe right?" Moca blushed at Tsugumi's comment, accepting the pudding while trying her best to mask her true feelings.

"Yay~ It's honey lemon pudding!"

"Ah! There are messages in the PasuPare group chat!" Hina excitedly pulled out her phone as she began texting her bandmates, while Moca took pictures of her pudding. She then posted it on Afterglow's group chat, with Himari lamenting the fact that she was on another one of her diets. Tsugumi was preparing her own batch of cookies, too busy to even check Afterglow's group chat... and to notice what Yukina had not done. "... Hey uh, why does it smell like something's burning...?"

"Minato-san! Your chocolate! It's burning!" Sayo exclaimed as Yukina fumbled with the switch, unintentionally increasing the heat. "Minato-san, you're making it even worse!"

 _'I should totally send this... but to who?'_ Moca thought as she filmed the disaster unfurling in front of her. Eventutally, she decided to send it to Lisa, since the latter was aware of Yukina dating Ran.

**[Lisaaaa]**

_**[4.03 PM]** _

**mocabread:** [yukinastartsafire.mov]

 **Lisaaaa:** wtf is yukina ok?

 **mocabread:** her ego's a bit bruised but shes ok

 **Lisaaaa:** u know, ran's similar to yukina

 **mocabread:** how so?

 **mocabread:** ran knows how to cook

 **Lisaaaa:** [ranpanic.mov]

 **mocabread:** wow

 **mocabread:** wht is she doing

 **Lisaaaa:** i hv no idea

 **Lisaaaa:** to think tht ran actlly said tht yukina can't bake for shit?

 **mocabread:** well they evacuated the classrm while tsugu extingusihes the mini fire

 **Lisaaaa:**... shouldn't u leave the rm too?

"Moca-chan! What are you still doing here?!" Tsugumi coughed as she tried her best to extinguish the stubborn fire Yukina had created. "Darn it, this fire is as stubborn as Ran-chan..."

"We should totally send this to Ran."

"Moca-chan,  _no_!"

* * *

"I know I said that I'll wash up... but..." Tsugumi stared at the offending pot which once contained chocolate, now it was reduced to a sad mess filled with burnt chocolate that was not only black but also inedible. Yukina, Hina and Sayo had left the cafe an hour ago, and they would have stayed even longer to help Tsugumi wash up had it not been at the latter's insistence to scrub the black... matter out of the pot. Moca was at one corner conducting some form of funeral for said pot, clearly not helping Tsugumi with the washing. "Moca-chan... what are you doing?"

"Conducting a funeral for the poor pot? Is it not obvious?"

"... Well okay, just make the funeral for my hands nice after I'm done scrubbing the heck out of this pot." Tsugumi gave up, going back to scrubbing the chocolate out of the pot. All of a sudden, she felt a pair of arms embracing her. "M-Moca-chan...?"

"Ahaha~ I was thinking, wouldn't it be nice if this happened every day?" Moca whispered lazily in Tsugumi's ear, but Tsugumi knew that Moca was being serious depite the tone. "You cooking meals while I wait, sharing baths together, me stealing your blanket as we sleep... It all sounds pretty sweet don't you agree?"

"I'm very concerned that you have plans to steal my blanket." Tsugumi replied, thankful that Moca wasn't able to see her flushed cheeks.  _'A future with Moca-chan as my girlfriend... how am I supposed to stop her from stealing my blankets when we sleep?'_

"Aw c'mon, isn't that a perk of dating? That's like, dating 101 ya know~"

"Haha, but I can't wash the pot this way." Moca released Tsugumi from her embrace, instead turning her around so that they were facing each other. "M-Moca-chan?"

"Tsugu, let's make a deal. If the pot becomes clean after 30 minutes under ol' Moca-chan's touch, cook me dinner. If I can't do it, I'll cook you dinner as well as continue scrubbing Minachi's mess."

"You're staying over? Why is it that I only know of this now?"

"Tsugu~ Do we have a deal?" Tsugumi considered Moca's offer, and nodded in agreement. After all, it was pretty much a win-win situation for her. "Great! Now go up to your room and take a 30 minute nap while Moca-chan works her magic~"

"I'll take you up on your offer then." Tsugumi said as she left Moca in the classroom, making her way towards her bedroom upstairs. She was about to lie on her bed, but was stopped by an incoming message.  _'Oh, it's Tomoe-chan...'_

**[TaikoTomoe]**

_**[7.12 PM]** _

**TaikoTomoe:** Tsugumi, can I ask u something?

 **Tsugu:** Sure! ^^

 **TaikoTomoe:** Ok so Himari said tht ur dating Moca n I told her tht ur not

 **TaikoTomoe:** I mean, u dun hv to tell us if u dun want to?

 **Tsugu:** It's fine! We're not dating!

 **TaikoTomoe:** Wait, srsly???

 **TaikoTomoe:** Wow I guess both Ran and Himari owe me 50 bucks each...

 **TaikoTomoe:** Thks Tsugumi!

 **Tsugu:** Wait, the three of you betted on us?!

 **Tsugu:** Gambling's bad! T_T

 **TaikoTomoe:** It's not gambling when ur just passing money to someone else?

 **TaikoTomoe:** I'm gonna screenshot this to them

 **TaikoTomoe:** But for reals, ur rlly not dating Moca?

 **Tsugu:** Nope

 **Tsugu:** Tomoe-chan, how do you know that you like Himari-chan?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hmmm I dunno how to say it?

 **TaikoTomoe:** I guess I knew when I started to think abt Himari more then I used to

 **TaikoTomoe:** N when I tried to ditch u the other time Himari wanted to go to the amusement park last yr

 **Tsugu:** Oh dear, I'm so sorry that I ended up being a third wheel on that day!

 **TaikoTomoe:** Ahaha no biggie

 **TaikoTomoe:** Btw do u like Moca?

 _'Bets aside, is it really that obvious? I'm still figuring things out... though I think I finally know where my heart truly lies...'_ Tsugumi smiled to herself as she typed a reply to Tomoe's question, confirming her feelings for Moca.

**[TaikoTomoe]**

_**[7.22 PM]** _

**Tsugu:** Yeah, I really love her

 **Tsugu** **:** Took me a while to figure things out, but yeah

 **TaikoTomoe:** Today must be my lucky day

 **TaikoTomoe:** I won another 10 bucks

 **Tsugu:** Ran-chan and Himari-chan shouldn't be giving money away so readily...

 **TaikoTomoe:** Oh tht wasn't from them

 **TaikoTomoe:** It's from Ako

 **Tsugu:**... Should you really be betting with your younger sister?

 **Tsugu:** Why did she even bet about us anyways?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Oh she said tht Yukina-senpai n Sayo-senpai saw u guys looking at each other lovingly

 **TaikoTomoe:** Btw she's cool with losing money to me

 **TaikoTomoe:** She won 30 from Rinko-senpai

 **Tsugu:** That's not cool Tomoe-chan...

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hhhhhhhhh

 **TaikoTomoe:** Ako just sent me a video of Yukina-senpai starting a fire?

 **TaikoTomoe:** R u n Moca ok?

 **Tsugu:** We're fine!

 **Tsugu:** Wait, how does Ako-chan know about the fire today?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Lisa sent a video of her burning something to Rinko-senpai n Ako

 **TaikoTomoe:** Then Ako sent the video to me

 **TaikoTomoe:** Do u want it?

 **Tsugu:** No thanks, I can get it from the source herself...

 **Tsugu:** Speaking of Moca, I should go check up on her

 **Tsugu:** She made a deal with me saying that she can scrub the chocolate off the pot Minato-san used earlier

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hey u said tht gambling's bad!

 **TaikoTomoe:** The pot's calling the kettle black

 **Tsugu:** Unlike you guys, we didn't bet with money!

 **Tsugu:** Anyways, see you tomorrow!

 **TaikoTomoe:** Bye!

 _'I hope Moca-chan didn't hurt herself while scrubbing the pot... The chocolate's really stubborn...'_ Tsugumi thought to herself as she went down the stairs and into the classroom, where Moca proudly held up a sparkling clean pot. "Y-You really managed to clean the pot?! How?!"

"Secret~" Moca grinned as she shoved her left hand into the left jacket pocket, and if Tsugumi possessed excellent hearing, she would be able to hear a faint crushing sound.  _'Thank god the pot was easy to find... now let's hope Tsugu never finds out that I threw her old pot away...'_

* * *

**[Afterglow]**

_**[6.45 PM]** _

**Hii-chan:**  GUYS GUYS

 **Hii-chan:**  TOMOE JUST GAVE ME SOME CHOCO

 **Hii-chan:**  IT WAS SOOOOOO GDDDD

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hahaha glad tht u liked it!

 **Tsugu:**  Good for you Himari-chan!

 **mocabread:** tsugu~ cookies~

 **Hii-chan:** oh yea

 **Hii-chan:** why does ran hv such a weird face today?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Wdym?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Didn't see her in sch today

 **Hii-chan:** ok so i saw her eating cookies which clearly were frm minato-san???

 **Hii-chan:** n the more she ate the more she looked like she wants to cry?

 **Hii-chan:** then she looked happy before looking like she wants to kill someone?

 **Hii-chan:** thts wht i mean by weird

 **Tsugu:** Uh...

 **mocabread:** owo

 **Hii-chan:** where's ran when u need her

 **Hii-chan:** motherfker if u r seeing this say something u bitch

 **TaikoTomoe:** Did srsly u copy n paste this frm our previous chat?

 **mocabread:** hii-chan being tsugurific lol

**_[7.04 PM]_ **

**Hii-chan:** wtf minato-san added peas into her cookies

 **Hii-chan:** like whyyyy

 **Hii-chan:** so gross

 **Tsugu:** Ahaha yeah ^^;

 **Tsugu:** It's probably not so bad?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Uh Tsugumi? Wasn't she over at ur place?

 **Hii-chan:** wait rlly

 **Hii-chan:** i thot it was just sayo-san and hina-chan

 **mocabread:** i found a wild minachi yesterday

 **Hii-chan:** tomoe did u know tht hina-chan gave aya-chan cookies burgers?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Huh?!

 **Hii-chan:** [cookieburger.jpg]

 **TaikoTomoe:** Omg Tsugumi why didn't u stop her?

 **TaikoTomoe:** I know Moca was being shitty yesterday but not u too Tsugumi

 **mocabread:** come to the dark sideeeee

 **mocabread:** i wasnt shitty ysterday tho

 **TaikoTomoe:** [yukinastartsafire.mov]

 **mocabread:** fuck

 **Tsugu:** What the hecking heck Moca-chan

 **Tsugu:** I knew that you recorded yesterday but not for that long!

 **mocabread:** i trusted lisachi

 **TaikoTomoe:** If anything, Lisa probably hasn't sent it to Yukina-senpai n Sayo-senpai?

_**[7.23 PM]** _

**Hii-chan:** omg u guyssss

 **Hii-chan:** sayo-san added vinegar into her cookies

 **Hii-chan:** i understand moca but u too tsugumi?

 **Tsugu:** Wait, she did?

 **Tsugu:** I didn't know! T^T

 **mocabread:** yea no u totally knew

 **Tsugu:** MOCA-CHAN!!!!!

 **mocabread:** wht if u wanna be evil then u shld own up tsugu

 **TaikoTomoe:** Oh come on Tsugumi...

 **Hii-chan:** misaki-chan's such a meanie

 **Hii-chan:** she said tht i'm not allowed to crush on kaoru-san while dating tomoe

 **Tsugu:** I'm pretty sure she has a point?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Wait, tht's not allowed?

 **Tsugu:** Tomoe-chan...

 **mocabread:** wow

 **mocabread:** conclusion they r not exclusive

 **Hii-chan:** hey we r ok

 **Hii-chan:** it's normal to crush on someone while dating tomoe

 **Tsugu:** I don't think that's how dating works...

 **Hii-chan:** i need a second opinion

 **mocabread:** hi im second opinion

 **Hii-chan:** i need a third opinion

 **mocabread:** -_-

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** raaaaaaaaaan

 **Hii-chan:** damn it fine i'll go pm her

_**[8.00 PM]** _

**Hii-chan:** ran blocked me

 **mocabread:** LOLOLOLOLOLOL

 **Tsugu:** Did she say why?

 **Hii-chan:** dunno all i did was to brag abt how tomoe was the best gf aft she failed to respond

 **TaikoTomoe:** Aw I love u too

 **mocabread:** get a rm u two

 **TaikoTomoe:** It's a shame we didn't get to exchange chocolate this yr

 **TaikoTomoe:** Not like Moca has any to exchange though

 **mocabread:** how rude

 **mocabread:** i do

 **Tsugu:** Do you?

 **mocabread:** yea i bought some

 **mocabread:** for a very special someone

 **Hii-chan:** it better not be for saya-chan

 **Hii-chan:** we know u love the bread from her place but pls no

 **TaikoTomoe:** Tht's possible

 **mocabread:** tsugu~ is the bell to ur hse not working?

 **mocabread:** lemme in

 **mocabread:** its raining too

 **mocabread:** halp

 **Tsugu:** Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn't hear the bell!

"Moca-chan!" Tsugumi fumbled with the door knob as she threw the door open, revealing a soaked Moca standing outside. "Hurry up and come in! I-I'll get you a towel to dry yourself!"

"Ahaha~ I'll take you up on that offer then." Moca entered the house, pulling out a dry packet of chocolate from one of the two internal jacket pockets.  _'Good thing I wore a waterproof jacket today.'_

"Here!" Moca was handed a fluffy pink towel by a panting Tsugumi, who had ran all over the house to find a dry towel. "Moca-chan... why did you come here? N-Not that I don't enjoy your presence or anything but... it's late... and raining?"

"Oh, I came to give you this." Moca said, presenting the packet to Tsugumi. "It's nothing fancy, and I don't have time to make one from scratch... but ya know, I wanna prove that I can be serious Moca-chan from time to time."

"... You know, you're seriously getting my hopes up. With what you said yesterday, and now this. Do you really mean it?" Tsugumi was about to cry, taking the chocolate out of Moca's hands. Moca nodded, using her right hand to cover her rose-coloured cheeks. "Are you blushing?! Hey Moca-chan, let me see!"

"E-Ehhh... Don't wanna." Moca mumbled, reluctantly allowing her hand to be pulled away from her face. Tsugumi giggled, placing a tender kiss on Moca's cracked lips. "... Warn me next time, I need to put some lip balm on first."

"Sorry, but I couldn't wait! Believe it or not, I've wanted to kiss you for quite a while."

"How long?"

"Hmm... Probably for at least two months? I found it weird at first, since I saw you as a friend for the longest time. Then everything finally clicked into place when Tomoe-chan asked me if I loved you yesterday. It was pretty strange, crying for you when Ran-chan was dating Minato-san, not feeling much when you told me that Sayo-san was dating Lisa-chan, getting embarrassed when you saw me in my bra yesterday... it just all made sense after saying that I love you to Tomoe-chan." Moca was stunned at Tsugumi's revelation, it was almost similar to her experiences...

"Ahhh, I'm just happy that you love me back~ Tsugu, feed me~" Moca recovered from being stunned, tackling Tsugumi to the floor.

"Alright, what do you want to have?" All of a sudden, Moca pushed herself up. Tsugumi wanted to follow suit, but couldn't as Moca was straddling her. "Um, Moca-chan? I can't make you dinner if you don't get off me."

"Isn't it obvious~" Moca asked as she shrugged off her jacket, a predatory smile on her face as Tsugumi realised what Moca  _really_  had in mind when she asked to be fed. "Tsugu looks tasty~"

"H-Hey, wait- ah!"

* * *

**[Afterglow]**

_**[9.30 PM]** _

**Raaaaaan:** Himari, could you tell Minato-san that I'm no longer mad at her?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Why can't u do tht urself?

 **TaikoTomoe:** U sound pretty passive agressive u know

 **Raaaaaan:** I'm not.

 **Raaaaaan:** I just want to top her.

 **Raaaaaan:** Tell her that too thanks.

 **TaikoTomoe:** Hhhhhhhhhhh

 **TaikoTomoe:** What the ever loving fuck Ran

 **TaikoTomoe:** Do u not realise tht Himari's in this grp?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Furthermore ur telling MY very pure gf to relay tht message to yukina-san

 **Raaaaaan:** I mean, she's in a group chat with the other band leaders?

 **Raaaaaan:** And unlike the rest, we don't have a vocalist group chat.

 **TaikoTomoe:** Like I said, u should just tell yukina-san directly...

 **TaikoTomoe:** U can just do this directly

 **Raaaaaan:** God damn it I just don't want to ok?!

 **Hii-chan:** ok i'll relay tht to minato-san

**_[9.54 PM]_ **

**Hii-chan:** update aya-chan just screenshotted the whole convo n plans to send it to lisa-chan

 **Raaaaaan:** You WHAT???????!

 **TaikoTomoe:** Uh Himari next time u might want to send tht privately?

 **Raaaaaan:** I don't even know whether she did this on purpose or not.

 **Hii-chan:** oh yea do u guys know tht sayolisa has been a thing ever since they entered high sch?

 **Hii-chan:** n kokoro-chan just said tht i'm not an adult?

 **Hii-chan:** like i'm an adult too thk u very much

 **Raaaaaan:** Never mind, I got my answer.

* * *

**[Hii-chan]**

_**[10.05 PM]** _

**mocabread:** hey hii-chan

 **mocabread:** do u rlly wanna know wht does adult activities mean?

 **Hii-chan:** YES

 **Hii-chan:** like wtf no ones telling me

 **Hii-chan:** whyyyyy

 **mocabread:** ok so adult activities mean sex

 **mocabread:** so rans saying tht she wants to be the active one when hving sex with minachi

 **mocabread:** n being adult means being aware wht sex is

 **mocabread:** becuz ur replies in afterglow r too innocent for our rep

 **mocabread:** u can thk me by buying me bread tmr

**_[10.36 PM]_ **

**mocabread:** hii-chan?

 **mocabread:** did i break u?

 **mocabread:** pls say no

**_[10.58 PM]_ **

**mocabread:** shit

* * *

**[Afterglow]**

**_[11.14 PM]_ **

**Hii-chan:** can someone tell me why no one has told me wht adult activities rlly mean

 **Hii-chan:** i hv to find out from moca tht it means sex????

 **TaikoTomoe:** F u c k

 **TaikoTomoe:** Moca u little shit

 **mocabread:** its sad ok

 **mocabread:** very sad

 **Hii-chan:** n i just learnt tht ran's basically telling me to tell yukina-san tht she wants to be the dominant one during sex

 **Hii-chan:** do u know tht i basically told the leaders grp chat abt their personal activities

 **Hii-chan:** i made a fool out of myself

 **Hii-chan:** i mean even kokoro-chan knew wht does adult activities mean

 **mocabread:** how is it tht u dun even know

 **mocabread:** ok lemme test u here so tht u wont make urself like a fool

 **TaikoTomoe:** MOCA NO

 **mocabread:** when i say tht tsugu n i had 'dinner' wht do i mean

 **TaikoTomoe:** WAIT WHAT???

 **Tsugu:** Moca-chan... Couldn't you have used a less personal example?

 **Hii-chan:** it means tht u n tsugumi had dinner?

 **Hii-chan:** what else could it mean?

 **Raaaaaan:** Basically they fucked.

 **TaikoTomoe:** Omg why Ran

 **Hii-chan:**... wht does fuck mean in this context?

 **Raaaaaan:** Wow you can call me a 'motherfker' but you don't know what does 'fuck' mean?

 **Raaaaaan:** Tomoe, have you ever considered getting a new girlfriend?

 **TaikoTomoe:** No

 **TaikoTomoe:** Why r u two like this?

 **TaikoTomoe:** N Tsugu, I expected better of u

 **mocabread:** tbf she could barely hold her phone let alone text aft wht i did to her

 **mocabread:** tht n we also did it on the floor

 **mocabread:** shes sleeping now

 **mocabread:** hii-chan do u want details on wht we did?

 **TaikoTomoe:** Pls dun

 **Hii-chan:** YES

 **Hii-chan:** tht way i can become an adult faster

 **Raaaaaan:** Omfg.

 **Raaaaaan:** Rofl.

 **mocabread:** ok hii-chan i pm u

 **TaikoTomoe:** MOCA DUN DO IT

 **TaikoTomoe:** Why is it that Himari's the only one who hv the rights to kick someone out of this grp?


End file.
